Extending a DHCP relay to backup a DHCP server

ABSTRACT

Techniques are described for providing a backup DHCP server using a DHCP relay agent. Embodiments retrieve DHCP server configuration information specifying a configuration of one or more DHCP servers. Additionally, embodiments monitor, at a DHCP relay agent, DHCP lease traffic between the one or more DHCP servers and one or more DHCP clients passing through the DHCP relay agent. Upon determining that the one or more DHCP servers have failed, DHCP server services are provided at the DHCP relay agent, based on the received DHCP server configuration information and the monitored DHCP lease traffic.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/334,099, filed Dec. 22, 2011. The aforementioned related patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments presented in this disclosure generally relate to computer networking and, more particularly, to techniques for providing a backup Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server at a DHCP relay agent.

Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are used to designate the destination of IP communications. An IP address serves a purpose for network communications similar to a street address for postal mail. In order for a device (or node) connected to an IP network to communicate over the network with another node through an Internet Protocol, each node must have an IP address and each node must reference the IP address of the other node. Further, each node must be configured such that it is capable of determining a route to each other node with which it wishes to communicate. The IP address configuration information can be used to determine routes to other nodes for the purposes of communication form an IP Configuration for a node.

There are several methods to provide a node on a network with an IP Configuration. A node new to the network or which has been set to a factory default state may have a well known default IP configuration. For example, such a node could come preconfigured to use an address on a non-routable network. Alternatively, the IP network may utilize a DHCP server. The DHCP server may have available a pool of IP addresses and may assign an address from the pool to the node for a session on the IP network. In this case, a DHCP Client on the node must be configured to accept an IP address from a DHCP server. As another alternative, some combination of DHCP and default configuration may be used to assign a node an IP Configuration.

Generally, DHCP gives network administrators a method to facilitate automatic distribution of addresses and to maintain the network configuration in a central location. More specifically, DHCP is an application-layer protocol that allows a client machine on a network to exchange packets between a software daemon on the client (i.e., a DHCP client) with another on a DHCP server (i.e., a DHCP server application) to get an IP address. The DHCP server may lease the IP address to clients for some period of time, after which the lease of the IP address will expire. In such a scenario, the DHCP clients may have the option of renewing the lease of the IP address for an additional period of time. Additionally, such a period of time may be an infinite timeframe, such that the assigned IP address for the client remains the same without requiring renewal.

SUMMARY

Embodiments provide a method, system and computer program product for providing a backup DHCP server. The method, system and computer program product include retrieving DHCP server configuration information specifying a configuration of one or more DHCP servers. Additionally, the method, system and computer program product include monitoring, at a DHCP relay agent, DHCP lease traffic between the one or more DHCP servers and one or more DHCP clients passing through the DHCP relay agent. The method, system and computer program product also include, upon determining that the one or more DHCP servers have failed, providing DHCP server services at the DHCP relay agent, based on the received DHCP server configuration information and the monitored DHCP lease traffic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited aspects are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of embodiments of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the appended drawings.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configured with a DHCP server failover component, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system configured with a DHCP server failover component, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing a backup DHCP server, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIGS. 4A-B are flow diagrams illustrating methods for monitoring DHCP lease traffic, according to embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system configured with a DHCP server failover component, according to one embodiment described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments presented herein generally relate to techniques for configuring a DHCP relay agent to act as a backup DHCP server. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configured with a DHCP server failover component, according to one embodiment described herein. As shown, the system 100 includes a plurality of DHCP clients 135 ₁₋₄ located across two subnets 140 _(1,3). Thus, in the depicted example, the DHCP clients 135 ₁₋₂ are located on the subnet 140 ₁ of 10.0.1.0/24 and the DHCP clients 135 ₃₋₄ are located on the subnet 140 ₃ of 10.0.2.0/24. The DHCP clients 135 ₁₋₄ on the subnets 140 _(1,3) are connected to a intranetwork 120 via DHCP relay agents 125 ₁₋₂. Additionally, a plurality of DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are shown as located on a third subnet 140 ₂ of 10.0.0.0/24. The DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are connected to the intranet 120 via a router 115.

Of note, in the depicted embodiment, the DHCP clients 135 ₁₋₄ are located on different subnets from the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂. As such, the DHCP clients 135 ₁₋₄ may be unable to communicate directly with the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ in order to obtain leases on IP addresses. To accommodate for this, the DHCP relay agents 125 ₁₋₂ are configured to relay DHCP-related traffic from devices on a first subnet to devices on a second, different subnet. For instance, the DHCP relay agents 125 ₁₋₂ could be software that executes on a network device such as a router connected to both subnets. In the depicted embodiment, the DHCP relay agents 125 ₁₋₂ are configured with a DHCP server failover component 130 ₁₋₂.

The DHCP server failover components 130 ₁₋₂ are configured to monitor DHCP-related traffic flowing through the DHCP relay agents 125 ₁₋₂ and to collect lease data. Such lease data may indicate, for example, which IP addresses the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ have leased out and which of the DHCP clients 125 ₁₋₄ these IP addresses are leased to. The DHCP server failover components 130 ₁₋₂ may also retrieve DHCP server configuration information from the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂. Such configuration information may specify, for instance, a range of IP addresses that each of the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ is configured to lease to clients. Additionally, each DHCP server failover component 130 is generally configured to monitor the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ and to determine when the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ have failed or otherwise become unavailable. For instance, such unavailability could be caused by a network problem in the company intranet 120 or in the router 115. As another example, the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ could be unavailable due to a hardware or software malfunction on the servers running the DHCP server applications. More generally, however, the DHCP server failover component 130 is configured to determine when the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are unavailable for any reason.

Upon determining that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are unavailable, the DHCP server failover components 130 ₁₋₂ may assume the role of a backup DHCP server, using the monitored lease data and the retrieved DHCP server configuration information. That is, each of the DHCP server failover components 130 ₁₋₂ may begin servicing DHCP lease requests for clients 135 ₁₋₄ on the respective subnet 140 _(1,3). For example, upon detecting that both DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are unavailable, the DHCP server failover component 130 ₁ could begin servicing DHCP requests for clients 135 _(1,2) on the subnet 140 ₁. Continuing the example, if the client 135 ₁ then requests an IP address, the DHCP server failover component 130 ₁ could service this request and assign an available IP address to the client 135 ₁. Furthermore, the DHCP server failover component 130 ₁ could use the retrieved DHCP server configuration information to determine the range of IP addresses that can be assigned to clients, and could further use the monitored lease data to determine which IP addresses are currently leased to clients. Based on this, the DHCP server failover component 130 ₁ could select an available IP address and assign it to the client 135 ₁.

At some point in time, the DHCP server failover component 130 could determine that the DHCP server 110 ₁ has once again become available (e.g., once the problem in the company intranet 120 is resolved). Upon determining the DHCP server 110 ₁ is available, the DHCP server failover component 130 ₁ could transmit updated lease information to the DHCP server 110 ₁. Such updated lease information could specify, for instance, which IP addresses the DHCP server failover component 130 ₁ issued leases for and which clients these IP addresses were issued to. The DHCP server failover component 130 could resume relaying DHCP-related messages between the clients 135 _(1,2) and the DHCP server 110 ₁. Advantageously, doing so allows the DHCP relay agents 125 ₁₋₂, each configured with a respective DHCP server failover component 130 ₁₋₂, to assume the role of a backup DHCP and to service DHCP-related requests for the respective subnet 140 _(1,3) in the event the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ become unavailable.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system configured with a DHCP server failover component, according to one embodiment described herein. As shown, the system 200 includes a plurality of DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂. Each DHCP server 110 ₁₋₂ contains DHCP server configuration information 220 ₁₋₂. Generally, the configuration information 220 ₁₋₂ represents any data related to the configuration of the respective DHCP server 110 ₁₋₂. For instance, such data could include a range of IP addresses to be dynamically assigned, a set of IP addresses that clients are currently leasing, which clients are currently leasing which IP address, the default duration of a new lease, the maximum lease duration, any static IP address configurations and so on. These examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and without limitation, and it is broadly contemplated that the configuration information 220 ₁₋₂ represents any data associated with the configuration and/or status of the respective DHCP server 110 ₁₋₂.

In the depicted system 200, the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are connected to the network 210. Generally, the network 210 represents any form of computer network. Additionally, a DHCP relay agent 120 configured with a DHCP server failover component 130 is connected to the network 210. The DHCP relay agent is further connected to a plurality of clients 135 ₁₋₃. For purposes of this example, assume that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are connected to a first subnet and the clients 135 ₁₋₃ are connected to a second, different subnet. As discussed above, the DHCP relay agent 120 is generally configured to relay DHCP-related messages between the servers 110 ₁₋₂ on the first subnet and the clients 135 ₁₋₃ on the second subnet. Doing so allows clients on one or more subnets to access a DHCP server residing in a different subnet.

In the depicted embodiment, there is a network disconnect 230 between the DHCP relay agent 120 and the network 210. As a result, the DHCP relay agent 120 in the present example is unable to communicate with the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ over the network 210. In such a scenario, the DHCP server failover component 130 could detect that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are unavailable to service DHCP requests. For instance, the DHCP server failover component 130 could be configured to periodically attempt to communicate with the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ in a way that elicits a response from the servers 110 ₁₋₂. In such a scenario, if the DHCP server failover component 130 does not receive the response from the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ within a predetermined period of time, the DHCP server failover component 130 could determine that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are currently unavailable.

Upon detecting that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are unavailable, the DHCP server failover component 130 could be configured to assume the role of a backup DHCP server for the clients 135 ₁₋₃ on the subnet managed by the DHCP relay agent 120. As discussed above, the DHCP server failover component 130 could retrieve DHCP server configuration information from one or both of the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ and could further monitor DHCP-related traffic passing through the DHCP relay agent 120 between the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ and the clients 135 ₁₋₃. The DHCP server failover component 130 could then use the DHCP server configuration information to determine a range of IP addresses that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are configured to assign IP addresses within and could further determine a set of already leased IP addresses based on the monitored DHCP-related traffic. Based on this, if the client 135 ₁ were to then request an IP address, the DHCP server failover component 130 could select an IP address within the determined range of IP addresses that has not yet been leased to another client and could assign the selected IP address to the client 135 ₁. Advantageously, doing so allows the DHCP server failover component 130 to function as a backup DHCP server in the event that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ fail or otherwise become unavailable.

In one embodiment, the DHCP server failover component 130 may further be configured to monitor when one of the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ once again becomes available. For instance, in the depicted example, once the network disconnect 230 is resolved, the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ may once again become available for servicing DHCP requests. In such a scenario, the DHCP server failover component 130 could be configured to transmit updated lease data to the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂, the updated lease data specifying IP addresses the DHCP server failover component 130 has leased out to clients while acting as a backup DHCP server. The DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ could then use this updated lease data to update their own local lease data. The DHCP server failover component 130 could then cease its operations as a backup DHCP server and could resume relaying DHCP-related messages between the clients 135 ₁₋₃ and the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂. By doing this, the DHCP server failover component 130 ensures that the DHCP servers 110 ₁₋₂ are accessing updated lease information when they resume operations

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing a backup DHCP server, according to one embodiment described herein. As shown, the method 300 begins at step 310, where the DHCP server failover component 130 retrieves DHCP server configuration information. Generally, the DHCP server configuration information specifies the setup of one or more DHCP servers on the network. For instance, the configuration information could specify a range of IP addresses that a DHCP server can lease out to DHCP clients. In one embodiment, the configuration information further specifies existing IP address leases by the DHCP server. Such information could include the specific IP addresses that the DHCP server has leased and which DHCP clients the IP addresses are leased to. The configuration information may further specify other configuration parameters of the DHCP server, such as a default lease time, a maximum lease time, static IP addresses the DHCP server should assign to particular devices (e.g., a printer), and so on. Of course, these examples are provided without limitation and for illustrative purposes. More generally, the DHCP server configuration information represents any data related to the setup of a DHCP server.

In retrieving the configuration information, the DHCP server failover component 130 may be configured to transmit a request to one or more DHCP servers requesting the configuration information. In response to such a request, the DHCP servers could be configured to transmit the DHCP server configuration information to the DHCP server failover component 130. In one embodiment, the DHCP server failover component 130 is configured to remotely access one or more of the DHCP servers to retrieve the DHCP server configuration information. For instance, the DHCP server failover component 130 could be preconfigured with credentials information that can be used to remotely access the configuration information on the DHCP server. In another embodiment, the DHCP server failover component 130 may be preconfigured (e.g., by a network administrator) with the DHCP server configuration information.

The DHCP server failover component 130 then monitors DHCP lease traffic between one or more DHCP servers and one or more DHCP clients passing through the DHCP server failover component 130 (step 315). The DHCP server failover component 130 collects lease data based on the monitored traffic. For instance, the DHCP server failover component 130 could be configured to track which IP addresses each DHCP server has leased out and to which client each IP address was leased. Additionally, the DHCP server failover component 130 could maintain information such as the time the DHCP server leased out each IP address.

This monitoring may continue until, at some point, the DHCP server failover component 130 determines that the one or more DHCP servers are unavailable (step 320). That is, the DHCP server failover component 130 determines a DHCP server is unavailable when the DHCP server failover component 130 is unable to contact the DHCP server. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the DHCP servers could be unavailable for any number of reasons. As an example, a computer system that a DHCP server application is running on could experience a hardware failure. As another example, the network connection between the DHCP server failover component 130 and the DHCP server could be experiencing problems that cause the DHCP server failover component 130 to be unable to contact the DHCP server. More generally, however, it is broadly contemplated that the DHCP server could be unavailable for any reason preventing the DHCP server failover component 130 from contacting the DHCP server.

Upon determining the DHCP server is unavailable, the DHCP server failover component 130 assumes the role of a backup DHCP server using the received configuration information and the lease data collected from monitoring the DHCP lease traffic (step 325). For instance, the DHCP server failover component 130 could use the DHCP server configuration information to determine a range of IPs that are available for leasing and could use the lease data collected from monitoring the DHCP lease traffic to determine which IP addresses have already been leased out to DHCP clients. Based on this information, the DHCP server failover component 130 could begin servicing lease requests from DHCP clients, using the IP addresses specified in the DHCP server configuration information that have not yet been leased out to a client.

For example, the retrieved DHCP server configuration information could specify that the DHCP server is configured to lease IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.1 through 192.168.0.100. Additionally, by monitoring the lease traffic flowing past the DHCP server failover component 130, the DHCP server failover component 130 could determine that the DHCP server has already leased out the IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.1 through 192.168.0.50. Thus, in such an example, upon assuming the role of the backup DHCP server, the DHCP server failover component 130 could service subsequent requests for IP addresses from DHCP clients using the IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.51 through 192.168.0.100. Advantageously, doing so avoids assigning out any duplicate IP addresses to two or more of the DHCP clients while still using IP addresses in the originally specified range.

The DHCP server failover component 130 may continue servicing requests for IP addresses as a backup DHCP server until, at some later point in time, the DHCP server failover component 130 determines that one or more of the DHCP servers are once again available (step 330). The DHCP server failover component 130 then transfers updated lease information to the available DHCP server (step 335). Such updated lease information could include, for instance, which IP addresses the DHCP server failover component 130 has leased out to DHCP clients while acting as the backup DHCP server. The lease information could further include which DHCP clients the IP addresses were leased to (e.g., specified using a MAC address of the client) and the time at which the IP address was leased. Once the updated lease information is transmitted to the DHCP server, the DHCP server failover component 130 ceases acting as a backup DHCP server and resumes the role of a relay agent between the two subnets (step 340), and the method 300 ends.

FIGS. 4A-B are flow diagrams illustrating methods for monitoring DHCP lease traffic, according to embodiments described herein. As discussed above, particular embodiments presented herein relate to a network architecture in which DHCP clients are located on a separate subnet from the DHCP server and where a DHCP relay agent is configured to transmit messages between the DHCP clients and DHCP server across the different subnets. For purposes of FIGS. 4A-B, assume that the depicted methods occur in such an environment. As shown in FIG. 4A, the method 400 begins at step 410, where a DHCP client transmits a DHCPDISCOVER message. The DHCP server failover component 130 receives the DHCPDISCOVER message from the client on a first subnet and relays this message to the DHCP server on a second, different subnet (step 415). Responsive to receiving the DHCPDISCOVER message, the DHCP server transmits a DHCPOFFER message (step 420). The DHCP server failover component 130 then receives the DHCPOFFER message from the server on the second subnet and relays this message to the client on the first subnet (step 425).

Upon receiving the DHCPOFFER message, the DHCP client determines to accept the offered IP address and transmits a DHCPREQUEST message (step 430). Again the DHCP server failover component 130 relays the message between the client on the first subnet and the server on the second subnet (step 435). The DHCP server receives the DHCPREQUEST message and transmits a DHCPACK message in response, confirming the lease of the IP address to the DHCP client (step 440). At this point, upon receiving the DHCPACK message, the DHCP server failover component 130 records lease information indicating that the IP address has been assigned to the DHCP client (step 445). That is, because the lease of the IP address to the client has been confirmed, the DHCP server failover component 130 is configured to record this information for subsequent use should the DHCP server failover component 130 assume the role of a backup DHCP server. For example, assume the DHCP server offered the IP address of 192.168.0.50 to the DHCP client and the client accepted this offer. In such an example, the DHCP server failover component 130 could record the lease of the IP address, so that if the DHCP server failover component 130 assumes the role of a backup DHCP server, the DHCP server failover component 130 can avoid leasing out the IP address of 192.168.0.50 to a different DHCP client and creating a duplicate IP address problem. Upon recording the lease information, the DHCP server failover component 130 relays the DHCPACK message to the DHCP client on the first subnet (step 450), and the method 400 ends.

FIG. 4B illustrates a method for monitoring DHCP lease traffic, according to one embodiment presented herein. As shown, the method 460 begins at step 470, where a DHCP client on a first subnet transmits a DHCPRELEASE message, indicating that the DHCP client is releasing the IP address that it is currently leasing. Upon receiving the DHCPRELEASE message, the DHCP server failover component 130 deletes its lease information regarding the released IP address (step 475). That is, since the IP address has been released, the DHCP server failover component 130 is free to lease this IP address to another DHCP client, should the DHCP server failover component 130 assume the role of a backup DHCP server. Thus, in the depicted example, the DHCP server failover component 130 deletes its locally maintained lease information regarding this IP address, indicating that the IP address is once again available for leasing to DHCP clients. The DHCP server failover component 130 then relays the DHCPRELEASE message from the DHCP client on the first subnet to the DHCP server on the second, different subnet (step 480. Upon receiving the DHCPRELEASE message, the DHCP server also deletes its lease information regarding the DHCP client and the released IP address (step 485) and the method 460 ends. The DHCP failover component 130 may also monitors for other DHCP messages, such as, DHCPNAK and DHCPDECLINE to keep its lease information in sync with the DHCP servers. Additionally, the DHCP failover component 130 could monitor the expiration or timeout of a client lease and could delete the lease information for a particular IP address upon detecting an expiration or timeout of the lease. More generally, the DHCP failover component 130 is configured to recognize all current and future DHCP protocol messages and updates its lease information such that its lease information is in sync with the lease information maintained by the DHCP servers.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system configured with a DHCP server failover component, according to one embodiment described herein. As shown, the system 500 includes a relay agent device 510, a plurality of and a plurality of DHCP server systems 550, communicatively coupled via a network 585. In one embodiment, the relay agent device 510 represents an existing system, e.g., network devices (i.e., routers, switches, etc.), desktop computers, server computers, laptop computers, and the like. The relay agent device 510 illustrated in FIG. 5, however, is merely an example of a system in which embodiments of the present invention may be used. Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented differently, regardless of whether the computer system is a complex multi-user computing system, such as a cluster of individual computers connected by a high-speed network, single-user workstations, or network appliances lacking non-volatile storage. Moreover, it is explicitly contemplated that embodiments of the invention may be implemented using any device or computer system capable of performing the functions described herein.

As shown, the relay agent device 510 includes, without limitation, a processor 515, which obtains instructions and data via a bus 520 from a memory 525. Processor 515 is a programmable logic device that performs instruction, logic, and mathematical processing, and may be representative of one or more CPUs. The relay agent device 510 is operably connected to the network 545 and the network 585, e.g., via network interfaces.

The memory 525 is any memory sufficiently large to hold the necessary programs and data structures. Memory 525 could be one or a combination of memory devices, including Random Access Memory, nonvolatile or backup memory (e.g., programmable or Flash memories, read-only memories, etc.). In addition, memory 525 may be considered to include memory physically located elsewhere; for example, on another computer coupled to the relay agent device 510 via bus 520. The memory 525 includes a DHCP server failover component 140 and an operating system (“OS”) 535. Operating system 535 is software used for managing the operation of the relay agent device 510. Examples of OS 535 include UNIX, versions of the Microsoft Windows® operating system and distributions of the Linux® operating system. (Note: Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States and other countries.) More generally, any operating system 535 capable of performing the functions described herein may be used.

As shown, the relay agent device 510 is communicatively connected to the DHCP client devices 540 via the network 545. The DHCP client devices 540 broadly represent any system or device that can be configured with a DHCP client (i.e., software or firmware that is capable of accepting an IP address from a DHCP server). Generally, the relay agent 510 is configured to transmit DHCP-related messages from the DHCP client devices 540 residing on a first subnet to the DHCP server systems 550 residing on a second, different subnet.

Each DHCP server system 550 in the depicted embodiment includes, without limitation, a processor 555, which obtains instructions and data via a bus 560 from a memory 570 and storage 565. Processor 555 is a programmable logic device that performs instruction, logic, and mathematical processing, and may be representative of one or more CPUs. Storage 565 is representative of hard-disk drives, flash memory devices, optical media and the like. Generally, the storage 565 stores application programs and data for use by the DHCP server system 550. The DHCP server system 550 is operably connected to the network 590, e.g., via a network interface.

The memory 570 is any memory sufficiently large to hold the necessary programs and data structures. Memory 570 could be one or a combination of memory devices, including Random Access Memory, nonvolatile or backup memory (e.g., programmable or Flash memories, read-only memories, etc.). In addition, memory 570 and storage 565 may be considered to include memory physically located elsewhere; for example, on another computer coupled to the DHCP server system 550 via bus 560. The memory 570 includes a DHCP server application 580 and an OS 575. Operating system 575 is software used for managing the operation of the DHCP server system 550. Examples of OS 575 include UNIX, versions of the Microsoft Windows® operating system and distributions of the Linux® operating system. More generally, any operating system 575 capable of performing the functions described herein may be used.

As discussed above, the DHCP server failover component 130 may monitor DHCP-related traffic flowing through the respective relay agent device 510 between the DHCP client devices 540 and the DHCP server systems. Based on this, the DHCP server failover component 130 could determine, for instance, a number of current IP address leases for each of the DHCP servers 580. The DHCP server failover component 130 can also retrieve DHCP server configuration information for the DHCP servers 580, specifying configuration characteristics such as a range of IP addresses a particular DHCP server 580 is configured to lease out, lease duration, maximum lease duration, and so on. The DHCP server failover component 130 may then determine that the DHCP servers 580 have become unavailable (e.g., due to a problem in the network 585). In such a situation, the DHCP server failover component 130 could assume the role of a DHCP server for the DHCP client devices 540, providing leases on IP addresses to the clients 540 using the retrieved DHCP server configuration information and based on the monitored DHCP-related traffic.

In the preceding, reference is made to embodiments of the invention. However, the invention is not limited to specific described embodiments. Instead, any combination of the following features and elements, whether related to different embodiments or not, is contemplated to implement and practice the invention. Furthermore, although embodiments of the invention may achieve advantages over other possible solutions and/or over the prior art, whether or not a particular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment is not limiting of the invention. Thus, the preceding aspects, features, embodiments and advantages are merely illustrative and are not considered elements or limitations of the appended claims except where explicitly recited in a claim(s). Likewise, reference to “the invention” shall not be construed as a generalization of any inventive subject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered to be an element or limitation of the appended claims except where explicitly recited in a claim(s).

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Embodiments of the invention may be provided to end users through a cloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing generally refers to the provision of scalable computing resources as a service over a network. More formally, cloud computing may be defined as a computing capability that provides an abstraction between the computing resource and its underlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks), enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Thus, cloud computing allows a user to access virtual computing resources (e.g., storage, data, applications, and even complete virtualized computing systems) in “the cloud,” without regard for the underlying physical systems (or locations of those systems) used to provide the computing resources.

Typically, cloud computing resources are provided to a user on a pay-per-use basis, where users are charged only for the computing resources actually used (e.g., an amount of storage space consumed by a user or a number of virtualized systems instantiated by the user). A user can access any of the resources that reside in the cloud at any time, and from anywhere across the Internet. In context of the present invention, the cloud resources could be communicatively coupled across multiple subnets and a DHCP relay agent configured with a DHCP server failover component 130 could reside between two of these subnets. In such an example, the DHCP server failover component 130 could detect when any DHCP server(s) for the subnet for the corresponding subnet becomes unavailable and could assume the role of a backup DHCP server servicing DHCP-related requests for the subnet. Doing so helps to ensure proper operation of the cloud resources.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special-purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope

thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of providing a backup DHCP server, comprising: retrieving DHCP server configuration information specifying a configuration of one or more DHCP servers; monitoring, at a DHCP relay agent, DHCP lease traffic between the one or more DHCP servers and one or more DHCP clients passing through the DHCP relay agent; upon determining that the one or more DHCP servers are unavailable, providing DHCP server services at the DHCP relay agent, based on the received DHCP server configuration information and the monitored DHCP lease traffic, comprising: receiving a DHCP message, from a first DHCP client, requesting a new DHCP lease; determining, at the DHCP relay agent, an available IP address based on the received DHCP server configuration information and the monitored DHCP lease traffic; and assigning the available IP address to the first DHCP client; and upon determining that a first one of the one or more DHCP servers is again available: transmitting updated lease information to the first DHCP server, the updated lease information describing DHCP requests processed while the one or more DHCP servers were unavailable; and ceasing the provided DHCP server services at the DHCP relay agent.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring DHCP lease traffic further comprises: maintaining a list of IP addresses the one or more DHCP servers have leased to the one or more DHCP clients.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received DHCP server configuration information specifies a range of IP addresses that are available for leasing to DHCP clients.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more DHCP servers are located on a first subnet, wherein the one or more DHCP clients are located on a second subnet that is different from the first subnet, and wherein the DHCP relay agent is configured to relay traffic between the first subnet and the second subnet.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving DHCP server configuration information further comprises: transmitting a request for the DHCP server configuration information to the one or more DHCP servers; and receiving the DHCP server configuration information from the one or more DHCP servers.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving DHCP server configuration information further comprises: remotely accessing the DHCP server configuration information on the one or more DHCP servers. 